Races & Rides

Devo Wrap: Three podium performances top week in Europe

Devo Wrap: Three podium performances top week in Europe

The USA Cycling National Development Program (NDP) experienced the highs and lows of European racing over the past week. The U23 riders registered a trio of podium appearaces while the women succumbed to bad luck in a pair of races.

U23

Ty Magner finished third in Friday's stage of the Arden Challenge. (Photo by Connor O'Leary)

The U23 men landed the podium following each of the three races they contested over the weekend. The contingent contested two stages of the Arden Challenge in Luxembourg before finishing their week in Germany to compete in the Rund um Düren 2013.

The weekend started with Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Development Team) finishing third in the 130-kilometer stage of the Arden Challenge. The USA Cycling riders covered all of the breakaways, including the final, eight-rider breakaway which decided the top eight spots of the race. Magner and Greg Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Bontrager Cycling Team) put themselves in that move as Daniel placed sixth.

Greg Daniel topped the podium following stage two of the Arden Challenge. (Photo by Jochen Dornbusch)

The second day of racing at the Arden Challenge landed a pair of Americans on the podium. Daniel won the 127.6-kilometer race, while Tyler Williams (Shafter, Calif./BMC Development Team), who was racing for his trade team, placed third. After the first 10 kilometers, a 10-rider breakaway built a three-minute advantage on the field. As the leaders turned laps late in the race, Daniel attacked and rode to a solo victory. Darville finished ninth, O'Leary and Leece placed 27th and 28th, respectively. Eaton finished the day's racing 61st while Magner was 98th.

On Sunday, the group traveled to Germany to contest the 134.7-kilometer Rund um Düren 2013. Darville, who is in his first year as an under-23 rider, finished second after being narrowly edged out by Geert va der Wijst (NED). A 10-rider breakaway, including Eaton and Daniel, got away early in the race and built a lead as large as three minutes on the field. This group stayed away until they were caught with 20 kilometers remaining in the race. The winner would be determined by a field sprint as Darville was beaten by centimeters.

WOMEN
La Fleche Wallone Feminine
On Wednesday, the women's road contingent battled the Mur de Huy at the La Fleche Wallone Feminine in Belgium. The team tried to be active, getting into a break over the fourth climb. Since the breakaway included riders from major teams, the peloton quickly chased it down. As the field ascended the Mur de Huy the first time, it shattered the peloton, leaving many riders to fend for themselves.

The USA Cycling contingent was represented in the front with Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY16) and Lauren Hall (Dolores, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) finishing 21st and 36th in the final results, respectively. Marianne Vos (NED), who finished second to Evelyn Stevens (Dennis, Mass./Specialized-lululemon) in the 2012 edition of the race, won this year's race with a time of 3:34:32. McGrath was 54 seconds behind Vos while Hall finished 2:13 behind the winner.

EPZ Omloop van Borsele WE
Over the weekend, the same group of women rode into unfortunate luck at the EPZ Omloop van Borsele WE in the Netherlands. The riders competed on a fairly flat course and coped with strong, northern winds.

The EPZ Omloop van Borsele WE began with an individual time trial on Friday. The Americans produced encouraging results as Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Exergy TWENTY16) completed the 19.5-kilometer course in 27:24.63, 1:12.75 behind the winner Ellen van Dijk (NED), who finished in 26:11.88. Lauren Hall (Dolores, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) also performed well on Friday, placing 23rd with a time of 28:42.18.

During Saturday's road race, the tough luck struck the USA Cycling contingent. With the group well represented in the front field, McGrath, Jessica Cutler (Seattle, Wash./Vanderkitten), Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team Jeep South Africa) and Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./Vanderkitten) were all stuck behind a large crash.

Lauren Hall (Dolores, Colo./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) registered the contingent's best result, placing 21st in the general classification. Hall was 10:25 behind the winner, Vera Koedooder (NED), who posted a time of 3:05:56. Ryan and Winder each battled back into the race, finishing 46th and 59th, respectively. Both women were 10:31 behind Koedooder. Emily Kachorek (Sacramento, Calif./Vanderkitten) finished 11:03 behind the winner in 71st position.

COMING UPBMX
From April 21-28, the group of riders below will be at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., participating in the first Junior Development Camp of the year:

Alex Darville finished second at the Rund um Düren in Germany on Sunday. (Photo by Jochen Dornbusch)

U23
The U23 riders below will be competing in a three one-day races in Denmark from April 26-28. On April 26, they will contest Skive-Lobet before competing in Himmerland Rundt on April 27. That group's week concludes on April 28 when they toe the line at Destination Thy.

Please note all four women will contest the road race on May 4. In addition to the road race, Neben and Small will compete in the time trial on May 2.

Want to be part of USA Cycling’s Development Program? The first step is getting on USA Cycling’s radar. One of the best ways to do this is by attending a USA Cycling Regional Talent Identification Camp. The primary goal of the Talent ID Camps is to recognize athletes who, at an early age, show signs of potential future success in cycling. Receiving instruction from some of USA Cycling’s finest coaches, the camps also provide the necessary framework to improve the athletes skill set thus progressing their talent development. In some cases, the Regional Talent ID Camps assist in selecting riders for international competition and/or a national development camp.

For more information and the full 2013 schedule of USA Cycling’s Regional Talent ID Camps, please click here.

About USA Cycling’s National Development ProgramsOne of USA Cycling’s dual missions is to achieve sustained success in international cycling competition. To that end, USA Cycling maintains development programs for all disciplines of competitive cycling, including men’s and women’s U25 and junior road; mountain bike; track (endurance and sprint) and BMX development programs. These programs provide a structured pathway to the top tier of the sport through athlete development that begins with Junior racing series, Regional Development Camps and racing and moves through to international competition. For more about USA Cycling’s Athlete Development Programs, click here.

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